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Magicians of
Monmouth

Saturday Evening Post
by Shalett, S.

Aug. 23, 1952

pages. 34-35, 58, 62, 64, and 66 

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Subminiature electronics

 I was shown one transistor building block about the size of a pair of large dice.  Sealed into the clear plastic were two transistors -- the equivalent of a pair of vacuum tubes -- ten resistors, three capacitors and four germanium rectifiers.  These terms my be Greek to the average laymen, but, even allowing for the most advanced “subminiature” technique, it would have taken a piece of electronic equipment at least the size of a cigar box to do the same job.  Another complete transistor consisted of a piece of wire smaller than a tiny fishhook and a speck of germanium about the size of a pinhead.

 Another dramatic advantage is that the useful life of a transistor has been estimated at from 70,000 to 100,000 hours, in comparison to the limited life of a vacuum tube.  Many scientists predict that the day is coming when the hardy transistors will replace vacuum tubes -- not TV picture tubes, however, as that is a different type of device -- in home radio and television sets.


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